Leading The Bakers Workshop, an internationally renowned baking studio here, Michael Teh ranks among the country’s top pastry consultants.
Students from around the globe flock to his classes, driven by the social media frenzy surrounding his online persona. Oldman Teh, as he prefers to be called, now has close to 250,000 Instagram followers!
The 59-year-old, who was originally a hairstylist, discovered his passion for baking 20 years ago.
“When I cycled around various countries and spotted a bakery, I would end up stopping there for a very long time,” he told FMT Lifestyle.
“I came back to Malaysia and began experimenting, but before that I couldn’t bake anything – not even a single loaf of bread.”
Things have changed drastically since then.
Entirely self-taught, he opened his first café in Malaysia in 2013, learning solely from YouTube videos and friends. Today, he owns four bakeries, including The Bakers Workshop, in the Klang Valley. He is also a consultant for many others, and supplies croissants to some cafés.
He is often in Bangkok, Japan, and Singapore because his culinary skills are in high demand there.
While baking has earned him a great reputation as a pastry chef, he said it was teaching the craft that brought him greater fulfilment, a venture that only began in 2020.
“When I started teaching, I just had two or three students. After a few months, the classes were all full,” he said.
The videos of him at his workshops picked up steam, with one even hitting a whopping three million views in June last year.
But how did this social media saga kick off? “I saw that my sons were always on Instagram. So, I decided to join them, and began posting pictures of my pastries.” A dad who once scolded his sons for being hooked on their phones now boasts more followers than them.
Surprisingly, his videos are popular across a broad spectrum of viewers, from café owners to those who can’t distinguish a mixing bowl from a rolling pin.
Most are drawn to his charming demeanour and unique attention to variables like the weather and humidity – details often overlooked when baking.
His son Derry Teh, 29, said: “We don’t just talk about how to make a croissant. We discuss how to troubleshoot issues that people often face, and these little details really help.”
Offering four types of classes – hand-rolled croissants for home bakers, commercial group classes, commercial private classes, and sourdough classes, The Bakers Workshop caters to just about everyone.
FMT Lifestyle recently had the opportunity to learn from the man himself, uncovering the secrets behind his famous hand-rolled croissants.
Within minutes of the workshop, it was clear that precision is the name of the game. Every ounce of water was measured to the millimetre, each fold of the dough gauged to the centimetre with a ruler – literally!
Today, with demand booming, Oldman Teh’s sons have jumped in to help with the classes alongside their dad.
Dave Teh, his youngest son said: “After I started working as a baker, I slowly began to understand that pastries aren’t just food. It’s more like an art form.”
On the other hand, Derry, who also runs Ground Coffee Roasters, shared that his love for baking is not the only reason he helps out in the workshop. “What I enjoy most is meeting people from around the world with very different backgrounds.”
So, whether you’re a complete novice, a seasoned home baker, or looking to upgrade your café, head over to The Bakers Workshop, for a world class experience.
Follow Oldman Teh on Instagram. Check out The Bakers Workshop to register for a class.
Wish to grab a bite of Oldman Teh’s famed pastries? Head over to:
- Ground Coffee Uptown in Damansara Utama
- Touché Pastries in Petaling Jaya
- The Dough Factory in Bandar Sri Damansara
The Bakers Workshop
64, Jalan Gasing,
Bukit Gasing,
46000 Petaling Jaya, Selangor